Forty Elephants

The Forty Elephants was an all-female shoplifting gang in London that was active from 1873 until the 1950s. The gang operated from the Elephant and Castle district, and they raided quality West End stores and ranged all over the country. The gang's members would also pose as housemaids in order to plunder wealthy people's homes, and they forced other gangs to pay tribute to them. The gang went from hiding loot in their clothing in the 19th century to using fast cars and trains to move their loot during the 20th century, and the gang went defunct during the 1950s.